Softwr

Scheduling · head to head

Doodle vs Picktime

Doodle logo

Doodle

Scheduling

Find the best time for anything

From
Free
Rated
-
Picktime logo

Picktime

Scheduling

Appointment, class and resource booking with an unusually capable free tier

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Doodle free plan restricted to one active poll and one booking page with 10-slot limit; Picktime the Pro plan is cheaper per user than Starter because it is sold in a ten user block, so a business with four or five staff pays more per head than a business with ten and has no tier that fits it well.
  • They diverge on capability: Doodle covers Group polls, Picktime covers Free tier with three staff.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Doodle and Picktime actually diverge.

Attributes where Doodle and Picktime differ
AttributeDoodlePicktime
Pricing modelUnknownPer user per month
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (iOS, Android)Web, iOS, Android
Founded2007Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Scheduling).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Doodle

  • Group polls
  • 1:1 scheduling
  • Booking pages
  • Calendar sync
  • Time zone support
  • Google Calendar
  • Outlook
  • Zoom

Only in Picktime

  • Free tier with three staff
  • Resource booking
  • Class and course booking
  • SMS reminders
  • Two way calendar sync
  • Payments
  • Multilingual booking pages
  • Booking approval

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Doodle

  • Schedulingnot Picktime
  • Appointment bookingnot Picktime
  • Time trackingnot Picktime
  • Resource managementnot Picktime
  • Team coordinationnot Picktime

Picktime

  • A public library booking study rooms and equipment where there is no budget for scheduling software at allnot Doodle
  • A two person tutoring business that needs a booking page, reminders and card payment for under ten dollars a monthnot Doodle
  • A community centre running classes with capacity limits and a waitlist across two venuesnot Doodle
  • A small salon that wants staff and chair availability booked together rather than assuming every stylist has a stationnot Doodle

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Doodle

  • Free plan restricted to one active poll and one booking page with 10-slot limit
  • Free users see excessive advertisements on booking pages
  • Limited customization options for poll types and response formats
  • Mobile app experiences bugs and has less polished interface than desktop version

Picktime

  • The Pro plan is cheaper per user than Starter because it is sold in a ten user block, so a business with four or five staff pays more per head than a business with ten and has no tier that fits it well.
  • SMS is only on paid plans and the free tier is email only, so the no cost option loses the single feature that most reduces no shows.
  • Reporting is limited to basic booking counts and revenue totals, so any business that wants utilisation by resource, staff productivity or cohort retention will be exporting data and analysing it elsewhere.
  • Integrations beyond calendar, payments and Zapier are sparse, with no native connection to mainstream CRM or practice management systems, meaning customer data lives in a second silo that someone reconciles manually.
  • Support is email only with no phone or guaranteed response time, which is acceptable at three dollars a user but a genuine risk if the booking page goes down on a trading day.

Pricing, plan by plan

Doodle

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Doodle review.

Picktime

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Three staff members
    • Two locations and three resources
    • Unlimited appointments
  • Starter$3/month
    • Per user, billed annually
    • Three staff and two locations
    • SMS notifications and reminders
  • Pro$2.25/month
    • Per user, billed annually, minimum ten users
    • Unlimited locations
    • Customisable emails

Which should you pick?

Choose Doodle if

  • You need group polls.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
  • You also want 1:1 scheduling.

Choose Picktime if

  • You need free tier with three staff.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want resource booking.

Questions people ask

Is Doodle or Picktime better?
Neither clearly leads. Doodle starts at Free and Picktime at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Doodle or Picktime?
Doodle starts at Free and Picktime at Free.
Does Doodle or Picktime run on more platforms?
Doodle runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android). Picktime runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Doodle for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Doodle best used for?
Doodle is most often used for scheduling, appointment booking, time tracking, resource management. Of those, scheduling and appointment booking are not what Picktime is typically brought in for.
What can Doodle do that Picktime cannot?
Doodle covers Group polls, 1:1 scheduling, Booking pages, Calendar sync. Picktime covers Free tier with three staff, Resource booking, Class and course booking, SMS reminders.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Doodle: Does Doodle offer a free plan?

Yes. Doodle's free plan includes one active group poll, one booking page, and one 1:1 meeting, limited to 10 slots per poll with ads displayed. Premium plans start at $15/month.

Source
Picktime: Is the free plan actually usable long term?

Yes. It allows three staff, two locations and unlimited appointments permanently. The main limits are no SMS and PayPal only for payments.

Doodle: What are Doodle's pricing plans?

Professional plan costs $15/month (or $132/year). Team plan costs $19.95/user/month (or $8.95/user/month billed annually) with a two-seat minimum.

Source
Picktime: Can it book rooms and equipment?

Yes. Resources are first class objects and can be booked alongside or independently of staff.

Doodle: Does Doodle integrate with calendar apps?

Yes. Doodle integrates with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar to prevent double-bookings. Slack integration allows poll creation and sharing directly in Slack channels.

Source
Picktime: Why does Pro cost less per user than Starter?

Pro is priced for a block of ten users. Below that headcount the per user rate on Starter is what you pay.

Picktime: Does it take card payments?

Stripe and Square on paid plans; the free plan supports PayPal only.

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